About

Andrea Cadwell plowing rice paddy, Ramgargh, India

Andrea is passionate about creating equity in food systems and vibrant economies that work in consonance with our natural resources. Andrea has developed educational programs focused on the environment and agriculture for students of all ages in the US and in India. In 2016, Andrea created the first program in sustainable agriculture for students at her local high school; the course work and hands-on training prepares high school students for careers in farming after graduation.

Andrea has worked with Vandana Shiva and rural farmers throughout India developing local seed banks and helping farmers return to traditionally sustainable farming practices. Locally, Andrea created a community farm that provides subsidized CSA shares to low and moderate income residents and a seed library located in the Peterborough Town Library, the result of extensive partnership cultivation and collaboration between educational institutions, for profit and non-profit businesses in the area. The success and excitement surrounding these projects led Andrea to create Seeding Communities; creative community based solutions for food security, environmental stewardship, and economies that are reflective of local diversity and individual needs.

Andrea has been a photographer for over 35 years, specializing in portraits, environmental landscapes, and social justice issues. Her work is widely shown and is part of permanent collections in the U.S and abroad. Her passion and belief in the image as way to communicate what often escapes in words, regardless of language, reflect sensitivity to discourse, depth, and scale.

Andrea studied social work at Boston College Graduate School of Social Work, she holds a Masters in Photography from New York University & The International Center of Photography, and a Masters in Environmental Science in Advocacy for Social Justice & Sustainability from Antioch University New England.